Wings Around Me
by Ivory Novelist
Summary: A DannyRafe friendship thing....not much romance or Evelyn really....
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Pearl Harbor ain't mine, no duh.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The Loved and the Lost  
  
" Take cover ", Rafe shouted as the Japanese patrols approached, the bullets of their guns ricocheting of the ruins of the plane. Rafe shot back at them, accompanied by Red and the others. But they couldn't hold them off for long. The Japanese advanced and would've reached, if not for the plane that flew over head, shooting in rapid lines in attempt to obliterate the enemy. Rafe watched it gratefully as it glided above him and then disappeared beyond the trees behind him and crash. Rafe's face fell as the smoke rose up from where it hit the ground in thick clouds. He felt his heart stop for a moment.  
  
" Danny ", he yelled as he sprang to his feet and started running toward the crash sight.  
  
" Rafe ", someone from behind him called in warning. But he didn't care. He had to find Danny.  
  
As he ran, he shot the Japs that popped up from the grass. The others were following, he sensed. Rafe neared the destructed plane in horror,  
  
" Oh, my God ", he murmured. " Danny ", he called out. He quickened his pace, shouting his best friend's name.  
  
" Ah, Anthony ", he said grimly as he came across the body of one of his friends. He checked for a pulse quickly and found none. He moved on frantically.  
  
" Danny, Danny ", he cried and finally found him.  
  
Danny was lying propped up on the nose of the plane, his body rigid in pain.  
  
" Rafe ", he choked as his best friend stumbled to his knees beside him." Ah, I've had better landings." He joked but the pain was plain on his face.  
  
" Yeah, well, you saved us back there ", Rafe told him truthfully, looking him over. Danny moaned. " I think I got something in my neck."  
  
Rafe had never been more relieved than when he saw Danny was alive, but he looked grimly at the piece of shrapnel that was stuck in Danny's neck. He moved the collar of Danny's uniform gently away from his neck and tried to remove the metal from his friend's flesh with a tremendous amount of care. Danny winced and bit back a cry as Rafe worked to remove the shrapnel, and he saw how his friend loathed himself for causing him pain. Rafe sighed as he finally freed Danny of the metal but saw his eyes go wide in dismay.  
  
A Jap struck Rafe in the head with a gun and suddenly there were Japanese patrols all over them, pointing their guns at the Americans and yelling in their own language too fast to seem coherent. Rafe was knocked unconscious for only a brief moment, before groaning as he came to.  
  
" Rafe ", Danny cried, his voice drowned out by the loud ramblings of several Japanese. Red and his friend stood beside each other, their hands behind their head in signal to the surrounding enemy that they were not a threat. One Japanese soldier began to bind Rafe's ankles with thick, cruel rope. He grunted in frustration, as he could do nothing to stop them. And then he turned his head a strange angle to look back and up at Danny, who was forced to stand. They put a large wooden restraint upon Danny's shoulders, tying his wrists to them. He only stood rigid and shaking, staring at Rafe with eyes so scared and pleading it broke his best friend's heart.  
  
Rafe had had enough. He turned his eyes away from Danny and reached for his gun, it's nose buried in the soil. He grabbed it and shot the Japs who had bound Danny before they even saw the bullets coming. He killed two around himself, but the other Japanese turned their own guns on Rafe, who pulled the trigger in vain. His gun was empty.  
  
He let it fall back to the ground as he anticipated the bullets that would kill him. Danny moved swiftly and frantically, the fear in his face never more clear. He pushed his captor down and headed to defend his best friend. Rafe could have never foreseen what was about to take place. He waited for death, for bullets in his chest. But they never came.  
  
Danny's eyes widened as two bullets lodged themselves in his chest, a pain he had never before felt suddenly shot through him. He staggered backward, his arms still bound to the wood upon his shoulders. Around him, his comrades shot and blew up the Japanese still left. Danny fell back onto the ground, his eyes locked on the sky above.  
  
" Danny? " Rafe said almost inaudibly. " Danny ", he cried out louder. He got up, his legs now free of their bindings, and dashed to his best friend's side. He collapsed beside him, his face contorted with horror and he saw the two bullet wounds in Danny's chest.  
  
" Rafe ", Danny choked.  
  
" All right. Hold on now ", said Rafe as he freed Danny's arms of the wood and then took Danny in his arms.  
  
" I'm not ", Danny struggled to speak, to breathe, " I'm not going to make it."  
  
" Oh, yes you are. Yes, you are ", said Rafe in denial and pointless hope.  
  
" Rafe ", Danny panted. " I'm so cold." He shivered. " I'm so cold." Rafe tightened his hold on Danny, trying to share his body warmth with him. Danny shivered and gasped for air, Rafe holding him close, holding his head to his chest.  
  
" Rafe, can you do me a favor? " Danny asked.  
  
" Yeah ", replied Rafe.  
  
" Could you have someone else put my name on the tombstone? ", Danny said as he tried to laugh but burst into tears instead because of the pain in his chest and the fear he could no longer deny.  
  
Rafe didn't answer, tears streaming from his own face which was twisted with pain and hopelessness. For a brief moment, Rafe only held Danny's head to his own as their tears mingled.  
  
" Danny, listen to me. Look at me ", he finally spoke. For a second, Danny only stared up blankly as if he were gone.  
  
" Danny, you can't die. You hear me? You can't die. You know why? Because you're going to be a father ", Rafe told him. " You're going to be a daddy. I..I wasn't supposed to tell."  
  
Rafe choked on a sob and Danny only looked at him for a moment, before a fresh wave of tears and pain surfaced on his face. He didn't say anything for a while, but then he leaned closer to Rafe and said, " No, you are. "  
  
And he lay his head down and was still.  
  
Rafe only stared at him in disbelief.  
  
" Danny? " he said. " Danny? " But he went unanswered.  
  
Rafe still held Danny to him and began to weep uncontrollably, laying his head on Danny's chest and clasping his hand tightly.  
  
" Danny, please.Please ", he whispered over and over in despair. He let out a moan and cried unashamed, his other comrades only looking on with the eyes of lost little boys. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The Truth  
  
Rafe woke up disoriented. The light flooded through his eyes as if he'd been blind for years and lost in darkness. He was sitting on the ground, propped up against the wall. He couldn't immediately remember where he was or what had happened before. And then it all hit him like a missile from a plane.  
  
Danny. He had lost Danny. His best friend was dead. He died to save Rafe. And Rafe had never been more alone. Or in more pain. He moaned as the tears stung his eyes but did not fall. He couldn't live anymore. He couldn't go back home and face Evelyn. He couldn't go on living without his best friend there by his side. He didn't deserve to live. Danny had been the better man.  
  
Rafe searched himself for a gun, any kind of weapon. Every time he moved, he felt pain everywhere, flooding his body from the core of his being. He stopped when his hand felt cold, smooth metal in his left pocket. A gun. Rafe had been little more relieved before than he was now. He pulled it out of his pockets and drew across his body, his right hand holding it like it was fitted for the weapon. It clicked as he readied it to fire and lifted it to his head, staring ahead of him at nothing.  
  
" I hope you waited for me, Danny."  
  
Just then, Gooze, Red, Colonel Dolittle, and the others all came in.  
  
" Holy shit ", one of them said as they all stopped in their tracks, eyes wide that had fallen on Rafe.  
  
" McCawley, what the hell are you doing? " Dolittle questioned.  
  
" Get the hell away from me ", Rafe ordered miserably.  
  
" McCawley, put the gun down ", Dolittle ignored him and commanded Rafe to drop the weapon.  
  
" Fuck you ", Rafe replied boldly, his finger about to pull the trigger.  
  
The men were shocked that Rafe would talk to the Colonel like that but said nothing.  
  
" McCawley, I order you to put down that God damn gun ", said Dolittle again, unfazed by Rafe's words.  
  
" It's my life, damn it. No one can order me what to do with my life. And if I want to want to end it, then I will", Rafe answered.  
  
" What the hell is your problem, Rafe? " Gooze questioned.  
  
" What the hell is my problem? What the hell is my problem? I'll tell you what the hell my problem is. My best friend died for me, in my arms, damn it. He had to be so God damn noble and now he's gone and it hurts, damn it ", Rafe shouted at them. " It hurts. What the fuck do you know? Danny has been my best friend my whole Goddamn life, and I loved him more than anything in this world except for Evelyn. Even more than flying. And he's gone. Don't you fucking understand? Danny is dead. Dead. Or all of you in fucking denial? "  
  
Everyone was silent, their eyes staring at the broken man who was their friend, now with a death wish. He straightened slightly, still pressing the gun to his head.  
  
" Now all of you get the hell away from me, unless you want to watch this gun go off ", he warned.  
  
No one moved for a while, but then Colonel Dolittle slowly approached Rafe and kneeled down in front of him.  
  
" McCawley, put the gun down ", he said quietly.  
  
" Hell no ", Rafe answered, staring at the Colonel with unwavering eyes, full of determination and self loathing.  
  
" McCawley, put the gun down. You can't die yet."  
  
Rafe didn't answer at first and than asked coldly,  
  
" Why not? "  
  
Colonel Dolittle was silent now, only looking at Rafe with strangely gentle, sympathetic eyes. He wasn't sure how McCawley would take this. But he had to tell.  
  
" Because Walker is alive."  
  
They were slow and steady words. Rafe stared at the Colonel in disbelief, letting his hand that held the gun fall to the ground at his side.  
  
" What did you say to me? " he asked.  
  
And Dolittle answered.  
  
" Walker is alive." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
The Letter  
  
Rafe stared at Dolittle in disbelief. But the Colonel's eyes were firm and unwavering. And Rafe wanted so much to believe him. But he didn't say anything. He only let his hand holding the gun fall away from his head and drop to the floor beside him. The other men sighed in relief from their places in the near the door. Dolittle reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.  
  
" Here ", he said as he held it out to Rafe. " We found it in Walker's jacket. It's for you."  
  
Rafe took it, crumpling the paper in his fist. He still could hardly believe that what Dolittle said was true. The Colonel just stared at McCawley before getting up and leaving, bringing the others with him.  
  
And again, Rafe was alone. He stared down at the paper in his palms. It was worn, battered, wrinkled, stained with dirt...and blood. This was the letter that every soldier, pilot, marine, anyone in the armed forces of the United States kept in their left breast pocket. Their last letter. The letter that got delivered once they were dead. Tucked safely in their pocket over their heart, written to those that they thought deserved a last word.  
  
Rafe contemplated this for a moment. And then he slowly unfolded the piece of paper and let it lie in his lap. His eyes traced the wrinkles, the creases, and every line of every word written in Danny Walker's handwriting. They fell upon every stain or dirt and blood and tears that blurred the words.  
  
And he was afraid to read it. He was afraid to read the letter meant for him if his best friend was dead and gone. A letter written expressing Danny Walker's last sentiments. His farewell. He wasn't sure if he could handle the turmoil, the emotions, and the soul that was scrawled on this battered piece of paper.  
  
But he had to. So he did. He began to read.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Rafe,  
  
If you're reading this, then I'm not coming home except for in a box. And I don't want you or Evelyn to feel bad over me. Flying was all I ever wanted to do and I did it because I loved doing it. I just want to clear a few things up and let nothing be misunderstood.  
  
First of all, I'm sorry. I'm sorry everything got so screwed up. I never meant to ruin our friendship or fall in love with your girl. But I did. And I never wanted you to go to England to be a hero. But you did. And I couldn't control what happened but I'm still sorry for screwing up. You and Evelyn can be together now. Just like you were always meant to be. And you know I would've been at the wedding. But I'm sure you can find another guy to fill my seat.  
  
I also want to thank you,Rafe. I want to thank you for teaching me how to fly and always watching out for me. For believing in me and never and giving up on me. For giving me a better life after my father died and letting me become a part of your family. For all the good times and the laughs and not bailing when things got bad. I want to thank you for being my best friend, Rafe. And I want you know that you always were and you always will be. And nothing, no woman, no war, no distance can change that. Not even death.  
  
I want you to marry Evelyn and I want to you live your life not feeling guilty over me. I don't have much, but what I do have, I leave to you.  
  
And I want to tell you something else. When Evelyn and I thought you were dead, it was hell for me. And for her. I've never been lonelier in my life, Rafe. And she was heartbroken. We took comfort in each other and one thing led to another and we got involved. It was never an intentional act to betray you or anything like that. When you came back, it was the last thing either of us expected. Just so you know.  
  
So there really isn't anything else to say. Except good bye. Bye, Rafe.  
  
Home of the Brave  
  
Your brother,  
Danny  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Rafe shuddered as he finished reading, tears streaming down his face. He folded it back up again and stuffed it into his pocket. He tried to regain control over his emotions.  
  
" Jesus, Danny ", he murmured as he stared up at the ceiling.  
  
He didn't move or speak for a while longer. He just sat, soundlessly, the words echoing in his mind. He didn't know what hell was going to happen when they went home, but right now all he was going to worry about was Danny and keeping him alive. And bringing him home. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well, I randomnly wrote chapter 4 – As I did so, I noticed how different my style is in this than in the first 3, since they written a while back and I've changed and developed allot in my writing – So that's cool to me – Anyway, please read and review! Thank you! ^_^  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Seeing is Believing  
  
For a long time, Rafe sat there. He reeled in the aftermath of reading that letter, running over the words over and over in his head. He could hear Danny's voice speaking them, clear and yet shadowing each other. He understood everything, now; everything was worthless. Everything was worthless in those moments, when his best friend lay down the hall, gambling with Death. Danny had never liked gambling, considering it usually went hand-in-hand with drinking. Sure, the two of them would have their shots, their cold beers and watch the important things in life – but Danny had never gone too far. His father had been enough.  
  
After the afternoon had dwindled down to the golden hour, Dolittle dropped in to say that he could see Danny. Rafe only nodded, unaware of Dolittle's pause and gaze of pity, unaware of the door shutting quietly. The letter fluttered in the draft, still unfolded in his lap, at the tips of his fingers. During his wait, Rafe had made a very distinct, clear decision in his head. His previously disorganized list of priorities were now put very much back in order. He looked up from thought to see the dark gold of sunbeams streaming through the window, and he remembered Tennessee. He remembered youth that had fled them so quickly, every moment that he had not valued enough because children never think that those moments will slip away. He remembered when there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would live forever, that Danny would live forever, and that they would be best friends for that long. Just the two of them. No one else in the world – just them in a plane, with the rest left behind on ground. He remembered when Danny was all he needed; his chest ached to think of that time so long ago, because whether or not he realized it, deep down he missed it. Rafe remembered when it was good enough to sit in his daddy's old plane in the barn, with Danny behind him, with no desire for war or women or glory. Danny had been enough; friendship had been enough. The golden fields of Tennessee had been enough of a world for them. And that same sunlight had been enough warmth, enough to light the wheat up like a painting and make him feel like life was perfect with Danny lying next to him.  
  
When had it become less than enough? If only they had stayed in Tennessee, stayed hidden in those wheat fields, sleeping away the golden afternoon. Perhaps then, they wouldn't have had to worry about women or war or death. Perhaps then, they could have been happy with simplicity. Perhaps they wouldn't be torn apart now. Rafe knew regret would not change what was, and he pushed it to the back of his mind for the time being. Refolding the letter and tucking it snugly in his own left breast jacket pocket, where his own already resided, Rafe got on his feet and strode to the door. He paused for a moment with his hand on the knob, and he could feel the sunbeams on his back.  
  
Rafe braved the walk down the empty, bleak hallway, tall and stiff and somber. It reminded him too much of Pearl Harbor's hospital, of the massacre, of Evelyn. Flashes of his whole life attacked him as he traveled the hall, and he nearly flinched. But he couldn't be shaken now; he had to be Danny's rock, his pillar of strength. Just like always. He hardly gave Dolittle and the others a look as he passed them just before he reached the door of the ward. All eyes were on him, and his own were hard on the door. Another pause, another lingering hand on the doorknob. He stifled a sigh, remembered the letter in his jacket, and opened the door. He disappeared behind that door as it closed behind him, and the others exchanged looks.  
  
The ward was dim, despite the row of unobstructed windows at the other side of the vast room. The sun was hidden at this part of the building, and clouds cast things in gray. Only a few of the may beds were filled, the empty ones neatly made with white linens and full pillows without the impression of a patient's weary head. The row of beds set against the right wall had only one filled, and Rafe's eyes recognized Danny without a second thought. Something glimmered in them, as he stood there. After pausing, wondering if he was ready for this, Rafe cautiously approached the bed, his boots sounding quietly on the tiles. As he neared the bed, he could see that Danny lay motionless, his dark eyes closed. He hardly looked as if he had come upon the threshold of death. In fact, Rafe could have made himself believe that Danny was only sleeping because it was damn near impossible to do so on the plane back home. Before he got any close, Rafe remembered Danny could sleep on the plane, as long as Rafe's shoulder was empty for his head.  
  
Rafe didn't breathe. His eyes were fixed on Danny's face, and he noticed how young his best friend looked. Damn, they were young. Rafe had learned that after nearly dying in England. If it had been any other time, he would have laughed at a sudden memory of himself telling Danny that he was nearly an old man at 25. He crept closer still to the bed, slipping into the chair that had been placed there for him. Once he was settled in the chair, he let his eyes roam over his best friend. Danny looked real clean, he thought. He was wearing some kind of a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His arms lay over the white sheets and coverlet, which were pulled up to his collarbone and tucked under his arms. An IV had been inserted in his left wrist and taped in place. He looked up at the water dripping within the plastic bag; somehow, it worried him more. Danny's head rested on the pillow, with his nut-brown hair laid across the white. He breathed easily, barely heard. Rafe's eyes returned to his best friend's hand and those familiar fingers. He sighed through pursed lips and reached out tentatively until his hand held Danny's.  
  
"I'm here, Danny," he said, looking at his best friend's sleeping face. "I'm here." For a split second, Rafe looked at Danny and saw the little boy sleeping in the fields with sun on his face. Then the little boy was gone, replaced by the pilot, the man he had grown up to be.  
  
"Danny, I'm so sorry," Rafe admitted. "I read your letter, and I get it now. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I get it now." He stopped for a moment, met with silence.  
  
"Look, I know you can hear me, so I'm just going to talk." He stared at Danny hard, gripped his hand. "Danny, I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, and I've always loved you, since we were little boys. You're my best friend, damn it. You've always been my best friend, and I know it because you told me that day in the field when your father came after you. I've loved you all this time, and there was never a part of my life that didn't have you in it. We dreamed together," he choked as his eyes searched thought for words.  
  
"And all our lives we wanted to get our wings. And we got 'em, Danny. We flew. But we never flew alone. I never wanted to fly alone and I never will, so don't you give up on me, Danny Walker." He had raised his voice at the last words, not caring if any of the Chinese heard him. He gave Danny's hand another squeeze.  
"I know I let things come between us. I'm sorry, Danny, I really am. As much as I love Evelyn, as much as I wanted to go be a war hero, I never should have let it come before you. I can see it, now. I can see how much I love you, and how much – " He had to bite his lip to keep from crying. "How much it would hurt if I lost you. I held you out there, Danny. I held you while you were bleeding all over me, crying with you, and feeling you die in my arms." The tears came anyway.  
"And I thought it was over. I thought you were gone, and it hurt so much. And then I wake up to find out you're still with me. And I read your letter, and, shit, Danny... I finally understand." His lip quivered with fallen tears as he stopped and looked at Danny wordlessly.  
"You can have Evelyn," he muttered. "You can have everything, Danny, just don't let go." He almost whimpered the plea, bit his lip again as the tears welled up and dispersed. "Don't let go." He bowed his head to Danny's hand wrapped in his own and wept. "I won't let go," he whispered. "I won't ever let go of you, Danny. I love you." It was another whisper, another beautiful whisper. "I love you like my brother... And I don't have wings without you."  
Rafe had poured out his heart and lain down his soul before his best friend and God. He only hoped that now since he understood, they would too. He pressed his eyes shut and reached for Tennessee, reached out for youth and sunshine and golden laughter. He reached for Danny, for hope. "Land of the free," he breathed.  
  
They were running through the wheat, laughing for the world. The sun embraced the whole earth, shone on their faces, wrapped them up in warmth. The wind teased the swaying fields and their tousled hair. The thrill of flying was still rising in their souls, lifting them up like birds with their own wings to keep forever. Danny was ahead of him, just because he let Danny win at everything. But he wanted to catch up this time, and Danny was running faster than ever before, with footsteps light enough to barely leave prints in the dirt. He called after his friend, asking him to wait up. //Wait for me.//  
  
"Home of the Brave." 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter 5 is finally here, and I am quite pleased with it. Please read/review, it is very much appreciated.  
  
Chris, the Reviewer: You have no idea what your review means to me. Thank you with all of my heart. I don't know who you are but, thank you so much. This chapter is for and your best friend. I hope you get to read it. ^_^  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Alive  
  
His eyes snapped open. It was as if he had jolted awake from an intense nightmare, his breathing clipped and fast. The only sound in the vast ward was his panting – yet it was not alone. Rafe lifted his gaze to see Danny staring up at the ceiling, gasping much like himself. Realization didn't set in immediately, and he only looked.  
  
"What?" he asked after a while of loud breathing.  
  
"Home of the Brave," the wounded pilot repeated. Something glimmered in his dark eyes that did not move from the shadows on the ceiling. "Home of the Brave." They had each calmed to only quiet gasps, their breathing steadying with each passing minute. And Rafe finally caught himself.  
  
"Danny?" he said breathlessly, his heart stopping as he waited to know that it was real. Danny took another breath with his eyes on the ceiling, before dropping his head to the side, and those eyes met Rafe's. Rafe stared into his best friend's eyes hard, while Danny looked at him with that familiar boyish quality of his. The pause that ensued seemed to go on forever; yet after that eternity, Danny's lips slowly curled into a faint smile – tender with love. And Rafe couldn't smile back – he shut his lips, as his eyes welled up anew.  
  
"Danny," he breathed, the name brought forth from his lips as the rivers of joy broke through his heart, flooded his soul, and overflowed. He bowed his head to the bed and began to weep, his other hand reaching across for Danny's. The injured pilot was taken a bit by surprise yet settled into it quickly, warmth visibly rising up into his face with that smile barely made. Tentatively, he lifted his hand to hover above Rafe's head, before finally laying it down. He stroked over his best friend's tousled hair as Rafe wept silently into the smooth coverlet. Danny broke into a shuddering laugh with tears springing up into his own eyes when Rafe sobbed audibly, with shoulders beginning to shake. Danny's hand moved down to Rafe's back and rubbed comfortingly, ignoring the IV and the hospital bracelet that accompanied his arm.  
  
"Aw, come on now, Rafe," he began after a while. "We can't be crying like children when we're war pilots." He smiled with tears rolling from the corners of his eyes, streaking their way down his cheeks. He held on to Rafe's hand reassuringly and looked upon his best friend with tenderness in his eyes that he felt throughout his whole being.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Rafe whispered, turning his head just a little.  
  
"Don't be," Danny said in return. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Rafe shuddered into a strange, involuntary grin.  
  
"How can you forgive me so easily?" he questioned, really more to himself than to Danny. Danny smiled, unseen by Rafe.  
  
"Because you did nothing wrong," he told his best friend. Rafe sat up, unashamed of his moist face.  
  
"Nothing wrong?" he echoed. "Danny, I didn't understand." The smile had disappeared from Walker's face, and he stared at Rafe with glimmering eyes.  
  
"I was angry at you," Rage continued, looking straight into his brother's eyes. "I treated you like shit, and I made you feel bad."  
  
"And you right to," Danny replied. "I was the one that screwed up, Rafe. I'm the one who should be sorry."  
  
"Don't you say that," Rafe chided abruptly. "Don't you come down on yourself, Danny." His best friend bowed his head to look away from him. "You didn't do anything but move on with your life when you believed I was gone. I was irrational to think Evelyn would never move on."  
  
"Or maybe you just didn't care if she did or not, as long as she didn't move to me," Danny said, looking back up. Rafe stifled a sigh.  
  
"You're right," he admitted resignedly. "When I came back, I wasn't just upset because she wasn't mine anymore. I was upset mainly because you had her. I guess it would've been different if it were any other guy." Danny nodded and looked down again.  
  
"But I don't care anymore," Rafe added, bringing Danny's eyes up to his own again. "I realized that you matter more than my pride. I would rather step back and let you have Evelyn, than fight you for it and lose the only brother I've ever had." Danny smiled close-lipped and his eyes grew glassy again.  
  
"You don't have to," he said quietly.  
  
"I know," Rafe said. "But I want to." And Danny kept smiling. After a long while of silence, of the two of them shifting their hands in each other's, Danny spoke up again.  
  
"Is it true?" he began, earning a questioning look from Rafe. "That Evelyn is expecting?" The words felt so strange to say. Rafe smiled this time, nodding.  
  
"Yeah," he said. "You did good while I was away." Danny smacked him playfully upside the head. His eyes glittered. "I can't believe it," he said in awe.  
  
"Scares the shit out of you, doesn't it?" Rafe asked.  
  
Danny laughed. "Just a little." They grinned at each other for a moment, before looking away again and going to their own thoughts.  
  
"Rafe," Danny began, as he stared out one of the distant windows.  
  
"Yeah, Danny?" Rafe answered, turning his head back to look at his best friend.  
  
"When she has the baby, I want you to be godfather," Danny said decidedly. Rafe was taken aback by this.  
  
"Seriously?" he said in disbelief. Danny looked at him again and smirked.  
  
"Well, who else would it be?" he said. Rafe's grin broadened, and he nearly chuckled aloud.  
  
"I want you to be a part of our lives forever," Danny continued, looking back to the window where sunlight had appeared. "I don't ever want to be apart." His voice had grown quiet, the way Danny was in truth.  
  
"We never will be," Rafe told him. "Because I'll never leave you." Danny smiled at him warmly, as if he taken the sunlight with him when he turned his head back. They didn't speak again for another long while, until Rafe brought up the letter.  
  
"Oh," Danny initially responded, blushing boyishly, and Rafe almost laughed.  
  
"Here," he said, smiling, and offered his own letter to his best friend. Danny took it in surprise, carefully unfolded it, and began to read. Rafe watched his eyes fill with tears. Danny shuddered into a smile as he finished and sat up without a second thought to the pain to put his arms around Rafe. He pressed his eyes shut, tears spilling from beneath his dark lashes, and smiled with his head on Rafe's shoulder and the letter crumpled in his fist. Rafe enveloped his brother in his arms, sighing to feel Danny alive against him. They remained in their embrace for a long time, not wanting to let go of the feeling of everything being all right again.  
  
"I love you," Danny admitted in a gentle whisper.  
  
"I know," Rafe said. "I love you, too." And Danny's heart broke, as the tears came profusely.  
  
After a long moment, they let go, and Danny eased back down onto his pillow. Rafe dried his face with the back of his hand, as Danny sniffled with quivering lips.  
  
"Does it hurt?" Rafe asked him, referring to his wounds.  
  
"Yeah," Danny admitted. "It would be worse without the morphine, though."  
  
"I hate to think you're in pain," Rafe said, and Danny's eyes looked as if they were about burst with the tears that pooled in them.  
  
"It's all right," he breathed. "I'm all right, now."  
  
"McCawely," Dolittle called from the door, getting Rafe to look over his shoulder. "Time's up," the Colonel said. Rafe nodded, before turning back to face Danny. He stood up, still looking down into his best friend's face. Dolittle watched as he leaned down to give Walker one last hug, and Walker reached up with opened arms eagerly.  
  
"I'll see you," Rafe reassured, laying his forehead against Danny's close. Danny smiled, and Rafe let go. He walked away, down the aisle of beds toward the door and Dolittle, not wanting to look back to make leaving any harder. 


End file.
